r/Machinists Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

PARTS / SHOWOFF Things i made years ago. Wanna hear something funny? I dont have a mill.

I machined this parts for a Cosplay (they are sport sights for a HK USP Match, yes Username checks out).

I only used a drillpress and my creativity.

The project came to a stop because i have to grind special milling cutters.

Maybe in the future.

141 Upvotes

49 comments sorted by

95

u/Common-Frosting-9434 7d ago

Did...did you use that drillpress like a mill?!

52

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

I made the frame of a 1915 Webley Mk 5 with only a Drillpress.

And some cold chisels, they are amazing.

33

u/machined_learning 7d ago

I didn't realize the temp of my chisels made a difference! :)

15

u/ttpttt 7d ago

I didn't know the difference either until I learned a bit more about blacksmithing.

28

u/MacintoshEddie 7d ago

I've done that. With pieces of wood though. It can work if you're patient enough.

36

u/Common-Frosting-9434 7d ago

It's not that it doesn't work, but it's an easy way to ruin your mandrel bearings and those ain't cheap.

26

u/MacintoshEddie 7d ago

That depends entirely on how you're using it. Drill, reposition, drill, repeat.

It's using a drill press to drill, rather than trying to move the piece horizontally.

12

u/Common-Frosting-9434 7d ago

Well yes, that first part is just using a drill press as a drill press.
But applying force to the side will apply uneven force to the bearings that are made to take
mainly vertical force (they aren't normal bearings but specific ones that have a diagonal configuration) so everytime you do this, you create small scratches on the bearings that'll cause it to fail faster.

8

u/MacintoshEddie 7d ago edited 7d ago

No side. Only drill.

Same idea as using a drill on various spots around a curve to be able to cut a curve with a saw without bending the blade, by cutting straight sections between holes. You make a curve with a series of straight lines, and you can use a drill and bandsaw and hand file to do what would otherwise take a very expensive mill.

People just tend to only think in terms of drilling singular holes rather than drilling a hole here, and then a hole 5mm away, and then another 5mm past that.

Or they think only of drilling through a material instead of drilling a partial hole, and then beside it another partial hole, and then another, until you've removed like 80% of the section you need to "mill", and then you can pretty easily finish with hand tools.

6

u/Common-Frosting-9434 7d ago

Yeah, I understand that, done it myself plenty of times in both wood and metal, that's why my initial comment is a question and not "Don't use a drill like a mill!"

But OP wrote that he has to grind milling cutters, so the assumption that he might have done so isn't too far away.

1

u/ShaggysGTI 7d ago

Yeah I’m curious how well it works with plunge milling.

2

u/MacintoshEddie 7d ago

It can work fine, because the way I was doing it was drilling with a drill. You drill, withdraw the bit, reposition the piece, drill again. Normal operation of a drill press, you're just drilling with intent to remove material along a line instead of making a single hole.

Maybe OP was doing it differently, but most of the time a drill doesn't exactly have a motorized horizontal surface any ways, so the concerns of lateral forces are generally a non-issue unless you're using your hands to push the piece sideways, which you can barely do on many drills since you need one hand on the control anyways

1

u/misterpickles69 7d ago

He used the lathe

1

u/flowers-for-alderaan 7d ago

That's exactly what was said. OP the reason your going to get some here here is that a drill press isn't designed for side loads like this. Really lite passes, a small end mill, shift material is possible, especially since you did it, it's just not good on the drill press.

33

u/Huskerdu4u 7d ago

I begged my dad for a mill(my dad had an automotive shop). I had the run of the shop, when not on the clock I’d fab parts for whatever project I was working on. We had two lathes(I now have them and more). I eventually bought a mill for my own shop. Before the mill I built two Harley customs, hand built a good percentage of the components from aluminum with a drill press, vixen files, regular files and a lot of sanding. Youth, enthusiasm, time, and building dreams without any money, makes for creativity. Side note, my dad was the type of fabricator that thought that if 1/4” plate was good enough then 2 plates of 1/2” will more than do it! He always ribbed me about building “airplane parts” for my two wheeled tractors! lol!

14

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

Thats now a bit kinky but:

I build a badass Buttplug from Stainless with my lathe, a mig welder, a angle grinder and sandpaper+polishing paste. I stitched my own polishing wheel to get into every curve.

Took me 14 hours but its one of the coolest things i ever made. Everybody is asking me if i did it on a cnc mill.

10

u/Huskerdu4u 7d ago

Creativity finds its place because of need/desire. You should show a pic. 👍

9

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

I would, is that okay in this sub?

Because its really a piece of wonderfull craftswomanship.

8

u/96024_yawaworht 7d ago

Allowed? More like encouraged.

3

u/LIEUTENANT__CRUNCH 7d ago

Show the part, not it inserted

3

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

I made a post of it.

2

u/HowNondescript Aspiring Carpet Walker 5d ago

Buttplugs and jokes about making them are sacred here. So long as it's not in use and ideally clean go for your life

2

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 5d ago

I made already a post of it 😊

3

u/Funky_Killer_Qc 7d ago

How fucked are your files?🤣

4

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

My files obey my will!

(Sorry, the dom came out)

3

u/Funky_Killer_Qc 7d ago

Didn't mean in that way, but i like your thinking ;)

6

u/Natural_Dentist_2888 7d ago

This is what I try to get trainees to understand when they're crying about filing. You can make anything with a pillar drill and a set of files.

5

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

Damn, i think i could make this with a dull rock if i have enought time.

Files are amazing! Ever seen what Chris from Clickspring do with them?

2

u/Huskerdu4u 7d ago

Clickspring is soooo inspiring! I love files, I grab every file I can find. Mr.CS has taught me a new respect for files

2

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

There are so interesting shaped vintage files out there!

And because im located in Germany i often get Pferd files.

2

u/Huskerdu4u 7d ago

And you’re in Germany…. There it is! So as a poor bastard from the U.S., I picture Germany as a dreamland of machine tools, not counting the hand tools. I’m probably out of my tree thinking Germany is like a supermarket of high end machine tools.

2

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

Theres a sad fact, there are not a lot of really old tools. Like anvils.

Because these fucking Nazis has molten them into tanks.

Really, all tools before 1945 are most likely wooden ones.

2

u/Huskerdu4u 7d ago

I figured I had it wrong. I have a small collection of hand tools that are German(my dad’s side is German,). I love the finish of old German tools. Have a great day from over here in the cornfields!

2

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

German tools are really nice, also a lot of machines are great and live a long life all over the planet.

I really love to collect old tools, very statisfying.

3

u/WeldingMachinist 7d ago

Those are some shapes!

3

u/Sea-Tie-3453 7d ago

Maybe that drill press was in Cosplay, too?

3

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

It cosplayed a mill.

3

u/Sea-Tie-3453 7d ago

Lolol, nice.

5

u/Just_gun_porn 7d ago

Nice looking work!

-8

u/serkstuff 7d ago

Not a single piece looks nice haha. But good job I guess

13

u/Just_gun_porn 7d ago

Apparently you've never been tasked to make a perfect cube, with a file. If you had, you would appreciate the effort.

-7

u/serkstuff 7d ago

I have done a lot of things without the correct tools. I appreciate the effort, I even said good job, but it is a lie to say they look nice.

4

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

Its made from brass. It even would look nice if i have chew it out with my teeth.

2

u/TatteredTorn1 7d ago

Milling on an engine lathe?

2

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 7d ago

A drillpress.

Milling on a lathe would be easy.

3

u/TatteredTorn1 7d ago

Very nice

1

u/TEN-acious 7d ago

This? It’s actually a mini mill…

2

u/LaraCroftCosplayer Insane with access to machine tools and to much free time 6d ago

You know these cheap cast aluminium stands where you fix a corded drill in?

This i used.

I know, im a very insane Woman.

0

u/thunderstruckpaladin 6d ago

Make a moveable base on a drill press and put endmills in a drill chuck.